Pens Top Isles 3-1
Sidney Crosby returned to the ice last night after sitting out the last few games with his high ankle sprain. He shouldn’t have bothered.
The Penguins didn’t need Sid the Kid and his otherworldly talent to beat the New York Islanders last evening. Pittsburgh had all the firepower necessary already on hand, riding goals from Evgeni Malkin, Jarkko Ruutu and George Laraque to victory. Josef Vasicek recorded the lone tally for New York.
On the bright side for the Islanders, Sean Bergenheim continues to excel this season and has fans breathless with anticipation for what he may accomplish next year. He has always played 100 miles per hour, but he has recently shown a maturity and vision on the ice that has transformed his game. He manufactured several good scoring opportunities last night and consistently brings an edge to the team, a characteristic that is sorely lacking. A future that includes him, Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau looks very good indeed.
Playing against Pittsburgh really drives home the point that the Islanders need to take advantage of having a high draft pick this year. The new trend in the NHL is to lock up your talent before they ever hit the Trade Market. Superstar players like Crosby and Malkin will only be found in the draft. If New York is ever going to be a competitive squad again, they need to draft well, develop their prospects and sign them long term. They have certainly taken steps towards developing their youth this season, but one wonders if the injury bug hadn’t hit, how much further behind would this franchise be? They must not shy away from this plan next year. The official mantra of the organization should be “Keep Playing the Kids.”
Hopefully, Garth Snow and Co. have done their homework on this year’s prospects. Otherwise, the team will be mired in mediocrity for many more years to come.
Author Bio
Frank has been a fan of the New York Islanders since seeing his first hockey game way back in 1977.
He reveled in the success of the Dynasty years and endured the time the team has spent in the basement of the league.
He also covers the Isles and New York Jets for www.sportstalkbuzz.com and writes a regular fantasy hockey column for www.rotoexperts.com.
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I agree, let’s hope Snow doesn’t turn out to be another Milbury though, and trade away what he gets.
by Bryen Owen on March 29th, 2008 at 6:20 PM EDT